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The framework of linguistic intergroup bias is used to understand the interplay language use & cognitive biases in political conflicts. The hypothesis that desirable ingroup & undesirable outgroup behaviors are described in more abstract terms than undesirable ingroup behavior & desirable outgroup behavior was tested using G. Semin & K. Fiedler's (1988) categorical linguistic model in two studies of political conflict. In the first, 123 subjects from two opposing social movements -- 63 from Coordination de Gesto por la Paz(Coordinated Action for Peace [CGP]) & 60 from Herri Batasuna (supporting Basque independence) -- described the behaviors of models pictured wearing either CGP or Basque independence symbols. In the second study, the descriptions of victim & aggressor in a nationalist & nonnationalist murder in editorials of two nationalist -- Elgin & Deia -- & two nonnationalist -- Diario Vasco & ABC -- newspapers were analyzed. In both cases, with ANOVAs & qualitative analysis, respectively, the hypothesis was confirmed. 4 Tables, 22 References. Adapted from the source document.

This article studies the Spanish electoral system in the context of problems that have arisen from the formation of minority governments with parliamentary support from parties from autonomous regions. Firstly, the effects of the electoral system on such parties are studied before going on to raise an additional issue which specialized literature scarcely takes into account. This issue concerns the in-built bias of the Spanish electoral system that favors the Right. In general, the disproportional bias towards majority parties has been pointed out, although the role of the Left-Right variable has not been studied in such detail. In this article, electoral simulations illustrate this dimension in relation to absolute majorities, alternance & relations between state-wide parties & regional parties. Tables, References. Adapted from the source document.

This article provides insight into the influential role of the media in the foreign policy of countries, particularly as related to Mexico. It speaks of the intricacies & biases of the media, which tend to be influenced by certain individuals or groups in positions of power within the country, as well as by more prosperous & advanced countries such as the US. The author concludes that all these political considerations, coupled with the increasing speed in which information disseminates across political boundaries, challenge Mexico to adhere to its truest foreign policy principles without compromising its ethics & national character. M. D. Cowder

A well-known proposition in the literature on gender & electoral processes is that political parties are reluctant to run women candidates for election. This party prejudice is based on the belief that voters prefer to vote for male candidates rather than female ones. In order to test this presumed voter bias against women candidates, we have analyzed the 2000 Spanish Senate election. Our study shows that, in general, men candidates of the principal parties received more votes than women candidates. Nevertheless, the electoral disadvantage of women candidates in this Spanish Senate election can be mainly explained by their positioning on the ballot. Although candidates of the same party are ranked in alphabetical order on the ballot, women candidates were in most instances placed in lower positions than their male party colleagues on party lists. Tables, References. Adapted from the source document.